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Syracuse (0-0) vs. Western Michigan (0-0) Game Preview

This year it’s in Kalamazoo, and next season the two play in Syracuse on September 21st as the two schools square off for the first time ever.

But Syracuse head coach Dino Babers is familiar with Western Michigan, having come up with a 41-27 win in 2015 as the head coach at Bowling Green, and losing in 2014. Those Falcon teams went to MAC championships and bowl games, and to get Syracuse there this season, he might need this win.

There’s a layup against Wagner to follow, and an easy date against UConn coming up, but the ACC season starts up in September against Florida State and at Clemson.

For WMU, it needs to take advantage of the home date with a trip up the road to Michigan to follow. Things ease up after that, but getting a win over a Power Fiver would make the season before September gets going.

One Reason Why Syracuse Will Win

Does Western Michigan have the passing offense to keep up the pace if Syracuse gets going?

Yeah, getting all the top receivers back along with a healthy QB in Jon Wassink should help the Broncos – he missed time last year with a broken collarbone – but can the air show really get kickstarted after finishing 114th in the nation?

The Orange have a healthy Eric Dungey ready to go for a passing game that’s among the nation’s deadliest when it’s on. There’s more than enough talent in place in the receiving corps with TE Ravian Pierce and WR Devin Butler about to blow up for an offense that should put up at least 350 yards through the air. WMU has to get ready for a firefight.

However …

One Reason Why Western Michigan Will Win

The WMU defense might just be good enough to keep the Orange offense from blowing up.

There’s a good pass rush about to crank up against a suspect SU offensive front, and the secondary is solid despite the loss of star corner Darius Phillips. The linebacking corps is going to be a concern early on, but the Orange won’t win this by pounding away with the ground game.

And yes, the return of Wassink is a big deal on the other side. The WMU receiving corps is going to be sneaky-good with the weapons to spread the ball around and, yes, keep up with the Orange attack.

What’s Going To Happen

It’ll be a dangerous game for the Orange to get through.

Not only is it on the road against a team good enough to win the MAC title, but Western Michigan doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. The Syracuse defense will get an efficient game from Dungey, and just enough for the ground attack when needed to throw a curveball into the mix.

WMU will battle deep into the fourth, but the Orange will be better offensively when they absolutely have to.